YouTube CEO Apologizes for Bad Ad Placements

YouTube  CEO Susan Wojcicki apologized to advertisers who have found their commercials running near objectionable content.

The video platform also announced it is working with big stars to produce original programs that marketers can sponsor.

Last month a number of major advertises have pulled the ad dollars from the Google unit until the can get better control of ad placement, making a safe environment a priority for marketers and ad buyers.

“You told us to do better when it comes to ad placements,” Wojcicki said during YouTube’s Brandcast presentation during the NewFronts in New York Thursday. “We have taken your feedback to heart… apologies for letting you down.

Wojcicki said “we can and we will do better.”

She said YouTube had team working “around the clock to make important changes to make sure your ads wind up in the right place.”

Related: YouTube Says Short Spots Are Having Big Impact


At its Brandcast, YouTube’s speakers emphasized the differences between old media like TV and the new media YouTube was creating. They did not mention Google TV, the new streaming video service that will feature live TV channels.

But the presentation did feature TV star James Corden, Ryan Seacrest, Ellen DeGeneres, emphasizing big traditional stars as much as YouTube’s authentic, grassroots creators.

YouTube announced that it is working with comedian Kevin Hart and Lionsgate Television to create a series for Hart’s Laugh Out Loud channel on YouTube.

The show--Kevin Hart: What the Fit?--will feature Hart and his celebrity fans attempting to master the latest workout trends.

Another original show is a music competition called Best. Cover. Ever., created by Seacrest and hosted by Ludacris. The series is already exclusively sponsored by Johnson & Johnson.

Singer Katy Perry will be a part of the show. She will also have a live special on YouTube, in which she talks about what went into her new album as fans listen along to the music.

Other new YouTube shows are:

Ellen’s Show Me More Show in which Ellen DeGeneres creates over the top segment to give fans access to her favorite moments and biggest celebrity guests twice a week.

I Am: Demi Lovato, in which the singer reveals the personal journey involved in the writing and recording of her latest album.

Good Mythical Morning stars YouTubers Rhett & Link, hosts of the platform’s most popular daily program. The show features stunts, celebrity guests, zany challenges and reports from field correspondents.

The Super Slow Show stars YouTube Slow Mo Guys who use slow-motion photography to create great visuals with music, comedy and celebrities.

YouTube is creating series that can be sponsored because so many scripted series are going to non-commercial services, said YouTube chief business officer Robert Kyncl. “We see these shows as a way for us to partner with you to buck this trend.”

“These shows will provide an unprecedented opportunity to reach the audiences you care most about. Hit series that will stream to audiences around the world,” Kyncl said.

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(Photo via Esther Vargas's Flickr. Image taken on April 27, 2017 and used per Creative Commons 2.0 license. The photo was cropped to fit 9x16 aspect ratio.)

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.